…but with rigid guidelines for social distancing

THE National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has updated and extended Guyana’s Emergency Measures to August 15, 2020 with new provisions for religious worship; additional Indigenous villages under strict lockdown and more.

The measures were updated and signed by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, as they are to expire on July 31, 2020. The updated measures will take effect from August 1, 2020 and are in keeping with the government’s six-phase plan for the re-opening of the country and represents Phase Four.

As it relates to the provisions for religious worship, the notice states that religious leaders must ensure that attendance at religious services and gathering are restricted to 25 per cent the capacity of the building where the service or gathering is to be held.

Where there are multiple services, there should be no less than 45 minutes between each service to allow for sanitation and cleaning of facilities. Elderly persons should be given the option to attend services separately and apart from the normal services, preferably early in the morning.

Meanwhile, the place of worship must be cleaned and sanitised immediately before and after all gatherings and service. Sanitisation or handwashing stations should be provided for persons to use before and after the service or gathering and where persons enter the place of worship barefoot, it must be ensured that feet washing facilities are provided. Where applicable, when attendees enter a place of worship barefoot, shoes and sandals should be placed separately in bags.

The notice states that, as far as is reasonably practicable and where persons are not from the same household, all persons, whether sitting or standing, should maintain a physical distance of six feet from each other in or outside of the place of worship.

Religious leaders must also ensure that every person is wearing a mask fitted to cover the nose and mouth of the person while in the place of worship. Greeting practices should be adapted to avoid handshakes, hugs and other forms of physical contact.

In other cases, in serving religious or ceremonial foods, including communion, it must be ensured that individual and pre-packaged boxes are used instead of shared portions from communal containers.

Where applicable, persons should bring their own personal prayer rugs, covering or fabric to place over the carpet for daily prayers. The resume in-person worshipping also caters to prayers, weddings and funerals but in the controlled and restricted manner as outlined.

Importantly, religious leaders must ensure that any person who has any flu-like symptoms or respiratory symptom does not attend services or gatherings. Even so, a room or area should be identified where a person could be isolated if he or she becomes ill or begins to develop flu-like symptoms or respiratory symptoms. In this case, the leaders must ensure that the Ministry of Public Health is informed of any person who has those symptoms.

These measures do not restrict virtual religious worship and must be in keeping with the COVID-19 curfew applicable to the country and Regions Five and Six. Except for religious services and gatherings, as aforementioned, where gatherings are allowed it shall not exceed 10 persons.

Apart from this, the nation-wide 18:00 hours to 06:00 hours curfew remains imposed until August 15, 2020 but is applicable to Regions Five and Six only on Saturdays and Sundays.

Meanwhile, the special measures previously put in place for some hinterland and mining communities now also apply to all residents and businesses in Enteringbang, Makapa, Kurushi, Arau and Oko. They come in addition to the restrictions in place for the geographical coordinates last highlighted for Moruca and all residents and businesses within the radius.

Some of the measures which apply to them include a 18:00 hours to 06:00 hours curfew; restricted travel in or out of the areas; a cease in all mining operations and a host of specific health measures which have also been extended to August 15, 2020.

Also, in the updates, where 90 minutes of exercise is permitted from Monday to Friday, it was added that where group exercise if conducted, persons shall maintain a physical distancing of six feet from each other.